The celebrations marking the 125th anniversary of Mount Royal Park were designed to provide an ample mix of history and discovery, leading to a renewed collective commitment to the preservation of Mount Royal.

Throughout 2001, Montrealers and visitors of all ages have been able to discover or rediscover Mount Royal and its celebrated park through an eclectic mix of activities and events drawing on the rich history and vibrancy of this cultural landscape.

HISTORY AND DISCOVERY
In June, the Festive Fair in the Park re-enacted the park’s inauguration in 1876 complete with Victorian-era costumes, tea-room, games and animation. Then in September, close to 100 volunteers participated in a tree-planting exercise, while kiosks provided information on the park’s post-ice storm recovery. Also in September, a conference of Canadian landscape architects in Montreal brought close to 50 professionals to Mount Royal Park to study the landscaping challenges of the area between Beaver Lake and Smith House.

Throughout the fall, a «spirit» from the Smith family’s past took visitors to Smith House on a tour of this 19th century architectural gem. Guided walking tours introduced participants to the ties between Mount Royal and the St. Lawrence River, to the works of fine art in the park, to the landscapes of Frederick Law Olmsted and to the mountain’s three summits, one in each of Montreal, Outremont and Westmount.

The organising committee of the celebrations, Les Amis de la montagne, Centre de la montagne, the City of Montreal and Heritage Montreal, hoped that participants in each event would leave with a greater appreciation, understanding and concern for Mount Royal, symbol of our common heritage. In fact, the anniversary objectives were defined as follows:

• To recall the role Mount Royal has played in the history of the city and the lives of its citizens.
• To reflect upon the future of Mount Royal.
• To renew Montrealers’ commitment to the protection and responsible development of Mount Royal.

The celebrations salute Montreal citizens of generations past who succeeded in the acquisition and creation of Mount Royal Park, one the most dramatic developments in Montreal’s history. This act of civic determination ensured the preservation of the forested mountain area, the very heart and symbol of the city, for the benefit of the public good.

RENEWED COMMITMENT
And yet in 2001, the preservation of the mountain for the benefit of the public good remains an ongoing preoccupation.

The Mount Royal Summit will be the culminating event of the anniversary celebrations to be held March 14, 2002. On the agenda will be the discussion and resolution of several key factors leading to the long-term protection of Mount Royal. These include the Mount Royal Charter, the definition of the territory that encompasses the mountain, the status of Mount Royal as a heritage site and the creation of an independent commission to manage the territory of Mount Royal.

PUBLIC FORUM
Les Amis de la montagne have a long tradition of holding a public Forum that is open to all that are interested and involved in the protection, conservation and enhancement of Mount Royal. The monthly meetings help to encourage the exchange of information, the discussion of current issues and the establishment of priorities. The Forum also serves as a place for institutional and private players around the mountain to present their projects to the public for discussion.

In the context of both the municipal reform and the anniversary celebrations, and in order to prepare for the Mount Royal Summit, the Forum has in the last year taken on a special form and meaning. Meetings throughout fall and winter 2001-2002 are taking place in each of the five boroughs that the mountain will occupy following the municipal reforms on January 1, 2002. Residents and groups from the existing Montreal districts of Côte-des-Neiges/ Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Plateau Mont-Royal /Milton-Park and Ville-Marie, as well as the new districts of Westmount and Outremont, will be given the chance to express their views, experiences and particular concerns about the conservation and enhancement of the mountain.

Specific issues being discussed range from the development plans of the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery, to the destiny of historic convent properties in Outremont, to the dismantling of the Pine/Park Avenue interchange in the Plateau Mont-Royal borough.

THE MOUNT ROYAL CHARTER
Concurrent to the Forum, a committee is working on the creation of the Mount Royal Charter, a document inspired by international charters and the Déclaration québécoise du patrimoine. The Mount Royal Charter will establish the principles to guide all actions grand or modest on the mountain, in order to encourage quality in all necessary interventions and appreciation for the communal asset that is Mount Royal.

The committee is seeking comments and opinions on the first draft of the Charter, which was officially introduced May 24. The committee will gather comments on the Charter until December 7, 2001. A revised version will be available for further comments on January 9, 2002, the date of the first Forum in the New Year, and the final version will be adopted at the Mount Royal Summit.

TERRITORY, PROTECTION AND MANAGEMENT
The municipal reform currently underway is seen as a unique opportunity to propose changes to the territory and protection status of the mountain. Thus in September 2001, Les Amis de la montagne presented the transition committee with a working document that proposed the following: 1) a definition of the Mount Royal territory to be protected; 2) the heritage status to be accorded this enlarged territory; and 3) a management model that would ensure the protection of the heritage site and the control of interventions within its boundaries.

Based on years of studies, discussion and the experience of specific cases, Les Amis de la montagne suggest that the territory of Mount Royal be extended to include portions of Westmount and Outremont, in an area that more or less spans from Decarie Boulevard to Saint-Urbain Street, and from Sherbrooke Street to Cote Sainte-Catherine Road. The enlarged territory should be inscribed in the Charter of the City of Montreal, in order to legally guarantee the protection of the environmental and historic heritage of this rich cultural landscape.

Moreover, Les Amis de la montagne have recommended that the Government of Québec, under the auspices of the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications, accord the territory of Mount Royal special heritage status, completing the measures set in the Charter of the City of Montreal.

Finally, the Mount Royal Commission would be created by virtue of the Charter of the City of Montreal with a threefold purpose: to ensure that the five boroughs the mountain will occupy will act in unison as they carry out the mountain’s enhancement projects; to ensure consistency in the development of policies pertaining to the mountain’s conservation, enhancement, development and management, including Mount Royal Park and Summit Park; and to encourage projects and initiatives that support the conservation and enhancement of Mount Royal.

The outcome of this proposal remains unknown as we go to press. Nonetheless, the discussion of each item is complex and requires the full participation of both public and private interests in their resolution, including government leaders, institutional representatives, property owners, community groups and associations.

The Mount Royal Summit, which will bring together all these interests to adopt the Mount Royal Charter, will hopefully represent the beginning of a new phase in the mountain’s history as these proposals become reality, and the appropriate territory, and protection and management frameworks, are established.

The Mount Royal Charter and Summit represent a renewal and expansion of collective and individual commitment to the conservation and enhancement of Mount Royal that will perhaps be this generation’s legacy for the next 125 years.

Written by Gabrielle Korn, Coordinator, 125th Anniversary of Mount Royal Park
& Susan Ross, Coordinator, Forum of Les Amis de la montagne

The Mount Royal Summit has received the financial assistance of the Government of Canada, the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec and the Programme Action-Environnement of the Ministère de l’Environnement du Québec.